Month: July 2014

One of my besties’ bridal showers was this weekend! I was in charge of games and favors (the former, I was not so excited about – the latter gave me an excuse to get crafty)…and then I put myself in charge of creating a signature cocktail for the event. I walked out into my garden for inspiration and decided to use the last of the honeysuckle blossoms!

I remember as a little girl, walking in the woods with my mother and pulling the stamens out of honeysuckle blossoms and “drinking” the nectar, it is such a fond memory that although the vine is wildly invasive, it’s hard to think of removing it.

The first step is creating honeysuckle simple syrup, which of course necessitates gathering up some blossoms -erring on the side of whiter rather than more yellow/orange.

Add hot, but not boiling water to the jar (I sized up – so this is a pint jar), cover it, and let it sit for 12-24 hours. You should *just* cover the blossoms.

After it’s set – strain it into a measuring cup – for every cup of water, I add 2/3 cup of honey. You can go 1:1 and for more strongly “scented” syrups – but I find that the honeysuckle gets lost easily with too much honey – unlike mint which can stand up to it a bit better. Whisk the honey in until it’s dissolved – on a warm day, you shouldn’t need to add any heat to it – but if you do, you can feel free to transfer it to a pan – just DON’T LET IT BOIL!

Et voila. Once it’s done, transfer it to a storage container and move it to the fridge. Cool & then shake before using!

The Honeysuckle Buzz

Tablespoon of Honeysuckle Simple Syrup

4 ounces of Champagne

Stir with a bar spoon

Garnish with an edible flower or a honeysuckle blossom (I picked Borage for some color, but the honeysuckle adds a lovely scent)

Pickles are best made at midnight after the thunder has rushed out the heat of the day. You can sneak into the yard barefoot to pick the grape leaves you’ll need, feel the grass between your toes cold with rain, the night air still breathing the conversations of far away strangers. Everything else you’ll need is inside wrapped in the quiet of the house where soon the rumble of the jars in their water bath will sound like an approaching storm.

So it’s the 7th of July, and everyone in the house managed to get at least a spot of sunburn over the holiday.

I forgot the correct order of operations and put on sunscreen after I had my swimsuit already on, so there’s a funny burn band along my décolletage where it must have shifted. Summer has officially begun.

Between us, there are 3 aloe plants in the house, but it’s hard for me to commit an entire plant to this project, so I decided to make something a little broader spectrum.

*Plantain here does not necessitate a trip to a Caribbean market, it is a common weed in your yard and looks like this:

Do this: * Put the kettle on!

*Gently wash the plantain leaves (more of a rinse, really) and crumple/mush them into the bottom of a quart sized mason jar.

*Cut the green tea bags (and peppermint if you’re using tea bags) and empty the tea into the jar.

*Smush the peppermint branches (stems and all) into the jar (if using branches).

*Fill the jar about halfway (should cover at least most of your plant material) with hot but not boiling water.

*Set the jar on the counter to cool for 2 hours, shaking occasionally once it becomes cool enough to handle.

*Get the goo out of your aloe leaves. After some trial and error, I decided on slitting the leaf up the middle, cutting off about a 2-3 inch section at a time, flattening the section out, and then using the side of the jar to scrape the goo into the cooled tea. For good measure, I threw the aloe leaf husk parts into the tea as well.

*Cool/steep that in the fridge for at least an hour, shaking occasionally.

*Strain the cooler into a separate jar (or spray bottle) and then store in the fridge for up to 10 days.

You can dab or spritz this refreshing cooler on any part of your body, but definitely hit up the sunburn spots first.

Plantain has amazing healing properties, peppermint has a cooling kick, green tea is soothing and antioxidant, and aloe does what aloe does…

I was just out watering the garden and when I came back, I spritzed it on my face, neck, and pulse points and felt instantly cooler.

I don’t have bees this year, which makes me sad. The polar vortex was not just something the weather channel made up – it got VERY cold in New England and I lost all 6 hives. This year I was moving in the middle of when I’d be replenishing my bee population and so I had to sit out. Next March, I’ll be picking up a new hive…until then all I have are pictures of my babies from years past. This is my all-time favorite bee photo. I love these girls.